16 April 2013 Cross-frontal exchanges of salt detected by SMOS in the Gulf Stream

The Gulf stream is probably the most intensely studied ocean current. Over the past 70 years, many hydrographic sections have been taken accross the stream between Florida straits and the Grand Banks. These sections always reveal strong property gradients aligned with the current, indicating that the stream is a boundary between cold, fresher slope and shelf waters and warm, more saline central waters (Bower and Rossby, 1989). Biologists have also recognized the role of the Gulf stream as a boundray between two environments, each with its own unique set of flora and fauna.
A SMOS derived map for June 2012 clearly show the cross-frontal exchange of salinity.
 Find the full article at  http://www.salinityremotesensing.ifremer.fr/news/cross-frontalexchangesofsaltdetectedbysmosinthegulfstream